Friday, June 26, 2015

It's been a pretty wacky month, and I'll write again soon about all that's happened, but first, a quick announcement: I'll be doing my last scheduled signing tomorrow, June 27th, at Time Warp Comics in Boulder, CO from 1PM to 3PM.

I'm flying a long way for this one, and we haven't given folks much notice, so any help getting the word out would be most appreciated! Denver people, too! It's not that far, right?

If I may appeal to your self-interest, one thing that I have learned over the last couple of weeks is that first printings of Nonplayer 1 are now selling on Ebay for like a trillion dollars each, and they go for a shmazillion dollars if they're signed. Even second printings are starting to fetch silly sums. Hooray for scarcity! So if you have one of those, bring it by Time Warp to get it signed!

Also, I feel like I'm getting tweeted/emailed a lot by LA folks who want me to do a signing. I would love to come down if a shop invites me, so feel free to bug your favorite shop on my behalf.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Boy, that took a good little bit, but here we are. Nonplayer 2 is on stands today (print version here, digital version here). I feel like I've crested the second of a series of increasingly taller peaks -- there's the peak of #3 poking up out of the mist in the distance, but before I start hiking back down and prepping for the next climb, I'm going to enjoy the view for a second.

I have now drawn two comics! So nice to be able to speak about them in plural. Almost sixty pages. I know that's not a huge accomplishment by professional comic standards, but it was really challenging for me, and I'm happy that I've been able to keep going.

Of course, now that there's a second book out there, I'm getting lots of questions from people who may not have followed this journey from the beginning, so here's an FAQ:

Q: Wait. FOUR YEARS?

A: Yes. This comic took four years to make.

Q: How can I take you seriously when your book takes so long to make?

A: I should not be taken seriously. I have a family and a day job, and I make this book solely between the hours of 3 and 6 AM on weekdays. The book is not, nor has it ever been, financially self-sustaining. I do it because I enjoy doing it.

Q: Uh. Surely you've got the next five issues ready to go, though? There's no way you want me to wait that long for #3!?!

A: I am only now laying out #3. It will not come out quickly. I hope very much that it takes less time than #2, but I have learned to make no promises.

Q: But I heard you got a movie deal after the first issue came out. Aren't you rich now?

A: Nonplayer was optioned by Warner Bros. in 2012. That option paid for repairs to the roof of our house. We ate out more often that year, too. The option has since lapsed. I am not rich. Should renewed Hollywood interest result in some substantial influx of money, that money will be spent finishing Nonplayer #3 much more quickly.

Q: Why don't you just do a Kickstarter for #3?

A: I have not been able to make the math work out. I would need an amount of money similar to what I make in video games, and that amount is probably not achievable through Kickstarter. If I were in this position before getting married and having a child, I would definitely have gone this route and slept on somebody's couch for a year. Alas, I have responsibilities. If anybody has other ideas for funding the book, I am all ears.

Q: The only reason I was into Nonplayer was that I thought Dana was cool. I see that she barely shows up in the second issue. What gives?

A: Dana will continue to be the protagonist, and she will be all over issue 3. Issue 2 sets in motion a lot of machinery that will make more sense when read in the context of the finished collection. This book is all about Dana.

Q: Oh, then I have no further questions, and I support your book wholeheartedly! Where can I buy awesome Nonplayer merchandise?

A: You can find issues of Nonplayer #1 and #2, as well as posters big and small, at the Nonplayer Store. International shipping has been recently fixed, so everybody should be happy forever. If you have questions about shipping stuff, you can contact me directly through the contact link at the store.

Q: Will you be doing any signings?

A: Yes. I will be bringing myself, my comics, and my posters to the following events:

Comics Dungeon, Seattle: Wednesday, June 3 from 4pm to 6pmArcane Comics, Seattle: Friday, June 5 from 6pm to 9pmDestiny City Comics, Tacoma: Sunday, June 7 from 2pm to 4pmThird Eye Comics, Annapolis: Saturday, June 13 from 11am to 1pmHeroesCon, Charlotte: Friday, June 19 - Sunday, June 21

Thanks for all of your support, guys. I haven't been going about this the normal way, and I know that there's some controversy because of that. It means a lot that you've been so enthusiastic about the book. You are the reason that I haven't yet surrendered to common sense.

Also, I encourage you to start working on your own projects, regardless of their justifiability! We've got a thing called the Holy Order of Viking Draftspeople (#HOVD on Twitter), where we all cheer for one another in the wee hours of the morning. I would love to see more folks suffering with us!

Okay. Sling that backpack, swig from the canteen, and back down the mountain we go. See you at the next peak.